Garnet Jewellery in Early Medieval Sweden

Present-day Sweden has a large and varied garnet material from the Iron Age. Even if there are finds dating back to the Late Roman Period most objects derive from the 5th to 8th centuries. In Sweden this time period is called the Migration and Vendel Period, and it is characterised by its regional power structures, wealthy burials and far-reaching networks of contacts. Most of the garnets are part of jewellery such as brooches but also adorning high status weaponry etc.

Birgit Arrhenius’ extensive research on garnets constitutes the foundation of knowledge in this field of research in Scandinavia (1971; 1985; 1997; 2000; 2001). Arrhenius has focused on technical studies but also emphasised the importance of garnets as precious luxury objects that were used by the social elite to manifest political and diplomatic alliances. According to Arrhenius’ studies only cut garnets were imported to Scandinavia, but since then new finds of raw garnets have been made in several places, including recent finds in Gamla Uppsala (Frölund et al, 2011: 7; Lundqvist 1995). The occurrence of raw garnets in settlement contexts widens the perspective on import and begs new questions on contacts and trading networks on several different levels.

In her previous research Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson had studied contacts between Late Iron Age Scandinavia and contemporary Eastern Europe, including Magyar Hungary and the great Byzantine Empire (Hedenstierna-Jonson 2009; 2012; cf. Ljungkvist 2010). Even though these far-reaching networks were, to some extent, established from the late 8th century onwards, they were founded on already existing networks of which we know very little.

The contribution to the project is to collect the Swedish garnet material in a catalogue. A comprehensive inventory of the individual finds facilitates a discussion on local production contra import and might even enable the attribution of particular finds to local workshops. Trade with raw material also includes transference of craftsmanship and the knowledge of techniques like mounting etc. A further analysis of the material might make it possible to discern different status levels which in turn will help to advance our understanding of contemporary society.